Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus
The entire Christian faith comes down to one event being true or not. That event is Jesus’s resurrection. Even the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then the Christian faith is pointless.
But a resurrection is a pretty big claim. What’s the best evidence Christians give that Jesus rose from the dead?
Evidence for Jesus’s Resurrection
Here are the top 5 reasons for the resurrection.
1. The detailed, eyewitness testimony of the events.
Here’s what happened to Jesus according to the people who were there.
Jesus was arrested. He underwent six trials.
He was beaten, whipped, and forced to carry his cross until he couldn’t stand up.
They drove nails throw his hands and feet.
He then died by crucifixion (or suffocation).
He was confirmed dead when they stabbed him with a spear.
This was all done by professional Roman executioners.
Then Jesus was buried.
His body wrapped in 75 pounds of cloth and sealed inside a tomb.
His tomb then became empty.
Sixteen Roman soldiers guarding the tomb left their posts.
The huge stone door was rolled away.
There was an angel who said, “He’s not here, for he has risen!”
Finally, he was seen alive by over 500 people.
They heard him, touched him, saw him eat food and work miracles.
This is what they said happened!
2. These witnesses kept their testimony despite extreme persecution.
At first, all the disciples were full of doubt and afraid.
But overnight they were motivated to:
Publicly share their faith.
Be put out of synagogue.
Leave all, travel to distant lands, spread their faith around the world.
Be tortured and thrown in prison.
Most faced death.
Stephen was stoned.
James was killed with a sword.
Peter was crucified.
Paul faced many persecutions and was decapitated.
The early believers maintained their testimony through waves of organized persecution.
A written account from AD 100 describes how Christians were killed for entertainment:
“they were killed by dogs by having the hides of beasts attached to them, or they were nailed to crosses, or set aflame” (Tacitus, Annals, 15:44).
But nobody–not one person—caved under pressure and said, ok, we made it all up!
3. The Gospels are filled with self-incriminating testimony.
The gospels portray the disciples in a negative light.
For example, Jesus called Peter Satan.
Jesus said the disciples were dull of hearing.
Peter often spoke before thinking, and denied the Lord three times.
They were all really prideful and argued about who was greatest.
And all abandoned Jesus at his arrest.
You wouldn’t say these things about yourself if you were making the story up.
4. Extreme scoffers became extreme believers.
Jesus’s own brothers didn’t even believe in him before his resurrection. But after resurrection, they believed. They even became leaders in the church.
Paul was another scoffer. He was a wealthy and powerful Jewish pharisee who persecuted the church. But after claiming to see the risen Jesus, he became its biggest supporter. He started many churches and wrote 13 New Testament letters.
5. Christianity started in the place where people were most familiar with what happened.
If you were going to start a myth about the resurrection, you’d go far away from those who could disprove it.
Jesus was publicly crucified in Jerusalem. And that’s exactly where the early church began.
Conclusion
There are only four possibilities regarding what to do with this evidence for the resurrection of Christ:
1. It’s a legend that crept in over time.
The problem with this is legends take centuries to form, and the gospels were written soon after the events.
2. The disciples lied intentionally.
But what would motivate the disciples to lie? Wealth? Power? Fame? They faced death!
3. The disciples were deceived.
Jesus never actually died or someone stole the body.
The problem with this is Jesus was publicly crucified by professionals and the tomb was guarded.
4. It’s the truth.
Jesus’s resurrection is an event in history that really did happen.
The reasons for the resurrection given above are primarily based on internal evidence. They depend on the New Testament being reliable. So be sure to watch my next video which explains how we know the New Testament is reliable.
Bibliography
Geisler, David. “The Resurrection.” n.d. Meekness and Truth Ministries. Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.